Genealogical Tourism

Underlying the creation of the FGS Genealogical Tourism Award announced at the Springfield Conference was an impression formed anecdotally that there was largely unrealized (and certainly unadvertised) potential for the resources we use to serve as a magnet for tourism dollars.

This paper represents a beginning of a more systematic analysis of a phenomenon that may represent a partial answer to the fiscal challenges facing almost every library, archive and museum in the country. Consideration of the tourism potential in some of these resources may also shape where cuts are taken in an austere funding climate.

We encourage others in the scholarly community to devote attention to this area and for those in the tourism community to consider the benefits of promoting genealogical tourism.

Let us know how we might assist these efforts by contacting us at: access@fgs.org